Herta was truly Herta.
She could casually throw out world-shaking statements without blinking.
If her words were ever leaked to the public, half the universe would probably collapse from shock.
Their untouchable goddess—
cold, brilliant, arrogant—
was talking about marriage.
People admired Herta not just because she was beautiful, nor merely because she was among the absolute apex of universal geniuses.
It was mostly because she was impossibly proud— so proud that nobody even dared imagine "taking her down."
But today…
"I refuse."
Su Ran rejected her proposal without the slightest hesitation.
"Why!? I'm gorgeous!"
Herta brushed her hair dramatically.
"Your goal is too obvious.
And besides—
I'm not exactly lacking in pretty girls around me."
If his first transmigration had been into Herta's Space Station instead of Teyvat, maybe he would've impulsively agreed back then.
But now?
Now that he had grown, experienced things, built bonds—
Herta's take-my-assets-and-stay-here proposition was so blatant it was practically printed on her forehead.
It was "marriage for financial gain" at its rawest.
"Can any of them be prettier than me?"
Herta scoffed.
In the entire universe, who didn't know the legendary beauty of Herta?
Anyone who didn't must've crawled out of some cosmic crack recently.
"Actually… yes."
"Hmph! Impossible. They can't be prettier!"
Herta persisted in her denial as she continued studying the crystal sphere.
This thing was simply too magical.
Even she had never conceived something so outrageous.
To compress an entire star system like this…
This wasn't something a "normal" genius could achieve quickly.
No wonder it caught Nous's attention.
But then another thought crossed her mind—
If attracting Nous's gaze was this easy for him… then didn't that mean he could meet a Star God anytime he wanted?
Herta froze for a moment.
She herself bragged endlessly about her two audiences with Nous.
Meanwhile this guy—
He could just… call Him?
Borrow His processing power?
No—
Now he had even gotten Nous to give away part of His computing power.
This man was a genius among geniuses.
Herta stared at Su Ran with newfound intensity.
If she could keep him here, how many more unbelievable things would she witness?
A genius's thirst for knowledge was always immense— especially Herta's.
"If you want a space station, I can give you mine.
How about that?"
Then he would live here permanently, wouldn't he?
"No.
The station I want is for my sugar mama to manage."
Herta's station was good— but even if he owned it, it wouldn't truly be his.
Too many eyes, too much structure already set.
Besides, he liked building things himself.
And more importantly— he wasn't ready for Teyvat to be exposed to the universe.
If Herta knew, Asta would too.
That meant the IPC would soon know.
"What sugar mama? Is she richer than Asta?"
Herta's curiosity flared.
She had no idea someone was backing Su Ran.
"She's a future sugar mama.
I'm raising her.
White hair, red eyes, long legs, sweet voice— and most importantly… younger than you."
If he could've poached Asta, he might've considered dropping Ningguang.
Asta's background was on another level— comparable to Stone Gate's Ten Stonehearts.
Plenty of wealth and authority, sure— but still working class.
Asta, though—
Asta had a life.
"…I feel insulted."
She couldn't even deny the age part.
Herta's age was no secret.
"Mr. Su Ran," Asta suddenly spoke up, "I've received confirmation.
All the materials you requested have been purchased.
But transporting them to the Space Station will take time— approximately one week."
She checked the logistics update and blinked.
The courier… was her good friend Topaz?
Who in the IPC assigned Topaz to deliver freight?
"One week…
I'm not sure if that's enough."
With his materials arriving, Su Ran knew he needed to act soon.
Using IPC tech to transport the completed structure wouldn't be ideal.
The story on Teyvat wasn't finished.
If he went back prematurely, he might disrupt the intended flow.
Something he absolutely didn't want.
"Enough for what?"
Herta asked, laser-focused on him.
At the moment, Su Ran was her primary research interest.
If she couldn't study him, she would settle for studying his creations.
"A cross-galaxy teleportation device.
Where I live is far from here."
Herta blinked.
"The IPC's merchant ships already have jump drives.
There's no need to build something from scratch."
Existing tech not good enough?
Why reinvent the warp engine?
Su Ran shot her an annoyed look.
"That's for areas Akivili had explored.
When I say cross-galaxy, I don't mean a star system centered on a sun."
Herta: !!!
She didn't even hesitate.
She dropped to her knees and grabbed Su Ran's leg.
"I want to watch you research it!"
This man was insane.
He thought of something— and then he just did it.
Ever since she watched him shrink a star system into a crystal sphere, Herta's confidence in his abilities skyrocketed.
If anyone could build a cross-galactic device out of nothing— it was him.
Su Ran tried prying her off, but since he was using one of her puppets, he had zero advantage.
"Don't you have your own research?"
"I do!
My research right now is researching you!"
When it came to shamelessness, Herta ranked at the absolute top.
Geniuses didn't care what others thought— and Herta was a prime example.
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